1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an improved hydraulic turbine with virtual head drop, and in which the water-tight vessel with atmospheric pressure induces the static pressure to move the water into a steady flow through the runner of the turbine, and the invention is also directed to the method for its construction and operation thereby; more particularly the invention is directed to system in which pressure of a driving nozzle of water jet, entrains water leaving the runner through the suction nozzle of the jet, thus ensuring a continuous removal of water from the system; as the steady ejection of the water is in motion, it is uninterruptedly turning the shaft of the turbine and the water flow is converting the turning if it into useful work, as more particularly described herein.
The present invention is directed to a hydraulic turbine system with virtual head drop consisting essentially of a water jet member having a generally horizontally disposed nozzle with inlet and outlet, the driving nozzle being fluid coupled to a generally horizontally disposed elongated inlet means and being fluid coupled to a suction nozzle having an outlet proximate the driving nozzle outlet and coupled to a conically configured inlet, the water jet member thereby adapted for producing a fluid jet at a defined hydrostatic head, a runner turbine member defining a watertight system within which are gate operating mechanisms being fluid coupled to a runner effecting an empty vessel of atmospheric pressure, the static pressure therefor induces movement of fluid into a steady flow of fluid through the runner, and the runner turbine member having a tube thereof exiting fluid to the conically configured inlet for symbiotic cooperation with the water jet member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various prior art hydraulic turbines that utilize kinetic energy of natural or artificial waterfalls which are channelled to the turbine and are operated by this moving flow, and the like, as well as apparatus and method of their construction in general, are found to be known, and exemplary of the U.S. prior art are the following:
3,163,118 Baumann PA0 3,796,051 Kuwabara PA0 4,619,593 Molnar PA0 4,660,379 Lane
The patent to Molnar discloses exclusively a fluid extracting apparatus and any energy conversion device or underwater turbine is not a concern at all; the Molnar novelty is apparently directed specifically to reciprocating fluid extractor and displacement cage. Known types of hydraulic turbines of interest are those of Francis, Kaplan, a propeller type, Bulb and the Banki or other impulse types of turbines. Further, Molnar water extraction device necessarily requires a back-and-forth reciprocating motion to intermittently move out doses of water whereas the water type extracting operation of the present invention is continuous throughout. Baumann, Kuwabara and Lane show prior art kinds of hydraulic turbines. These patents or known prior uses teach and disclose various types of hydraulic turbine devices of sorts and of various manufactures and the like as well as methods of their construction, but none of them whether taken singly or in combination, disclose the specific details of the combination of the invention in such a way as to bear upon the claims of the present invention.